


Let Me Love You

by grunge_ish



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: James Potter is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Minor Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, dumb boys in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:14:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21715156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grunge_ish/pseuds/grunge_ish
Summary: James has been falling for Regulus since he met him, and he's finally ready to tell him.Regulus has been taught from the beginning of his life that emotions only make you weak, but maybe he doesn't want to be strong.Sometimes, fairytale endings are real life.
Relationships: Regulus Black/James Potter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 161





	Let Me Love You

**Author's Note:**

> This works with Let Me Save You, but you don't have to read this one to understand that one or vice versa.

Sirius hadn't stopped talking for the past hour and at this point, the only person still listening was Peter. Evans had gone to do her homework claiming she didn't want it to be late, Remus had started reading the book that Sirius gifted him, and James hadn't been paying attention in the first place. All of his attention was across the castle, in the Slytherin common room, with a certain boy named Regulus Black. James couldn't help but imagine that the boy was here with them, rolling his eyes as his older brother spoke and leaning softly on James's shoulder or asking to share his blanket when he got too cold or...... James had to stop thinking about that, he felt heat rise in his cheeks and turned away from the still talking Sirius. The fantasies still spun around in his head and he decided that he needed to get some fresh air.

"James, mate, are you alright?" Sirius asked as James stood up to get his fresh air.

"Oh, I'm fine, I just need to go outside for a little bit." He turned and smiled at Sirius, "Evans was right when she said that I could only think on the Quidditch pitch." Sirius laughed and went back to talking. James left the common room, pleased that his little ruse worked.

He was still stuck in his thoughts as he started walking, and by the time he snapped out of it, his feet and the castle had taken him to the library instead of outside like he wanted. He almost turned around to find his way outside, when he saw carefully tamed curly black hair and a flash of green and silver. "Regulus," he whispered, walking inside the library and quickly finding the table at which he had seen Regulus.He plopped down in the chair next to him and waited on Regulus to notice him. 

"What do you want James?" Regulus's voice was hushed and quiet, one because they were in a library, and two because for as long as James had been falling for him, Regulus had been in love with James.

The use of his first name made James's already racing heart beat a little bit faster. "I just thought I'd come find a book or two, but instead I found you!"

Regulus didn't hide his face, no no, he was too proper for that, he just needed to lean in a bit to read the words, and if it hid the blush forming across his face from James, that was just a plus. "You could still find a book."

James saw Regulus leaning into his book and leaned over as well. "Reg, whatcha reading?" He could easily read the name of the book on the spine, but his heart was beating too fast to make his brain work properly and he just wanted Regulus to keep talking.

Regulus leaned a bit away from the book, having been able to school his face back to a neutral expression, he had always been good at that, ever since he was a little kid. "Oh its just a potions book. I have an essay due tomorrow."

"A potions essay? Luckily for you Reg, I'm a master at potions!" James bragged, and this time, it was actually true. He took the book from Regulus and started to read the recipe for the potion he was looking at. "Six crushed basil leaves, four ounces of thyme, two gladiolus petals, and eight poppy seeds?" He paused for a moment when he realized what the potion was for, meanwhile, Regulus was seeming like he'd love to be anywhere else in the world.

"Before you say anything I--" James interrupted Regulus with his hand.

"You don't need a potion to be brave enough to ask your crush out!" James smiled at him, but inside he was curled into a ball, eating all of Moony's chocolate. "You have me to hype you up!" Regulus started to say something else, but James cut him off again. "So, who's the lucky girl?"

Regulus sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and he silently thanked his mother that he had taught him how to control his emotions. "It's actually--"

"A boy! Oh, well that makes sense and is completely normal too." James cut him off once again with an interjection. "So who is he? Is he another Slytherin?"

"Well, no he's not, he's actually a--" Regulus would've been becoming impatient at this point, but the smile that James had crushed any anger he could've summoned against him.

"A Ravenclaw?" Regulus shook his head. "A Hufflepuff?" Regulus shook his head again. "A Gryffindor?" James heart began doing backflips in his chest as Regulus nodded after a few moments. "Who's the lucky lion? Do I know him?"

Regulus almost told him then and there, but he chickened out at the last second. "Yeah, you do."

"Is he in your year?"

"No."

"My year?"

"Yes."

"Hmmmmmm," James thought for a moment about who it could be, passing over the idea that it was him. "Weasley?" Regulus made a face.

"It's not Weasley, honestly James I--" James put his hand up.

"Please let me guess!" James pulled out his secret weapon, doe eyes, and Regulus couldn't say no to that face if he was under the Imperious curse.

"Fine. You can guess who it is." James smiled widely and Regulus's heart almost stopped beating.

"Yesss!" Regulus rolled his eyes. "Is it Longbottom?"

"Absolutely not."

James was minorly running out of people to name, despite popular opinion, he really only spent time with the Marauders. "Uh, Shaklebolt?"

"James, I don't even know who that is. Do you give up yet?" Regulus was getting antsy, Madame Peirce was looking at them angrily and it would only be a matter of time before she threw them out.

"One more guess! Okay?" Regulus nodded and rolled his eyes, but on the inside, Jame's enthusiasm made him want to break out in a smile. James really hoped that his guess was wrong, but it was the only other possible option. "Is it Remus?"

"One, that's disgusting. Two, he stooped low enough to date my brother and therefore is not my type. Three, I prefer Quidditch players." Regulus's left hand began to shake with nervousness as his right hand laid motionless on the table.

"I'm all out of guesses Reg." James made a shrugging movement and then, from behind him Madame Peirce grabbed both him and Regulus with her magic and shoved them out of the library. "Who is it?"

Regulus just looked at him for a moment when he spoke his voice was incredulous, "You seriously still don't know? James! Who, besides my brother, is the only other Gryffindor that I've actually held a conversation with?" His calm face was breaking with a slight smile, but James's obliviousness was hilarious to him. 

"Peter?" James was thoroughly convinced that he was out of the equation. That there was no way that Regulus could ever like him. But the soft smile that broke through Regulus's calm face and the look in his eyes, the same way that Sirius looked at Remus, tried to convince him differently.

Regulus looked James in the eye and then looked away. "Obviously its not Peter," a realization suddenly hit Regulus and his slightly annoyed voice softened around his next words, "but I understand. You don't feel the same way." There was no way that James was being that obtuse unless it was on purpose, it broke Regulus's heart, but he nodded and his calm face was back. "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone now." He began to walk away but James grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Reg wait. I--" James took a deep breath, "I feel the same way about you, I was just convinced that there was no way for someone like you to fall for someone like me and with Sirius and I being so close, I just thought that maybe I was off-limits and--" Regulus put his hand over James's mouth.

A smile split his calm face apart and there was that look in his eyes again, the look that showed love right to the core. "I get it. You don't have to explain it away James." He took his hand away, and as soon as he did, James leaned forward to kiss him. For a moment, for both boys, the only thing in the world was the person pressed against them, and then they heard footsteps walking down a corridor, they pulled away from each other quickly as Sirius and Remus suddenly stood in front of them, with Peter trailing behind. 

"I thought you for going for a walk. What are you doing by the library?" Sirius didn't ask about Regulus, so James assumed he didn't see anything.

"The castle decided that I should go to the library," he motioned to Regulus, "and I ran into Reg here, who needed help with his potions homework, so I decided to be a good brother's best friend and help him out." Sirius shrugged and seemed to take that as an answer.

As he left, James winked at Regulus and Regulus smiled back. A simple exchange meaning that they would keep this between them and only them. Regulus watched James leave with Remus, his heart swelling with love for the dark haired Qudditch player.

Both boys went back to their common rooms thinking about all the things that could go right and never even considering all the things that could go wrong.


End file.
